Ons Jabeur’s run at the Cincinnati Masters ended at the quarterfinal stage after she was defeated by former champion Victória Azárenka on Wednesday.
Azárenka, the 2013 champion, toppled the Tunisian in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2, in an hour and 44 minutes to progress to the semifinals.
Jabeur was bidding to reach her first semifinal since the Tianjin Open in October 2019 but the biggest so far of her career.
A tight first set saw both players lose serve thrice before it headed into a tie-break but Jabeur will be disappointed with herself after she squandered two set points while leading 5-4 as Azárenka held serve to make it 5-5. The remaining two games went with serve with Jabeur holding hers to love to make it 6-6.
In a marathon tie break, Jabeur held her nerve and saved three set points while trailing 3-6 and rallied to take a 7-6 lead. She, however, again, failed to convert two set points thereafter. Despite saving another set point at 8-9, the Belarusian eventually converted a fifth set point and won the tie-break 9-11 to take the first set 7-6.
The second set did not begin so well for Jabeur who, despite saving a couple of break points, dropped serve in the first game and then fell 0-2 down.
The next two games went with serve but the Tunisian then lost serve, again, in the fifth game as she fell further behind at 1-4.
Both players held serve in the next two games and in the eighth game, Azárenka, a two-time Grand Slam champion, converted her first match point and won the set 6-2.
After the match, Azárenka paid tribute to Jabeur, who she played for the first time, labeling her a “very, very talented player”.
“I was surprised but in a good way by her pace. She’s very, very talented. I have obviously seen her play, but, you know, standing on the other side was different,” Azárenka told the WTA’s media team.
“So I definitely admire her talent, and it was surprising in a good way. I mean, in a bad way for me, but I’m saying it with a compliment.”
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